Nedbank Rock and Rut XC National Championships.

Windhoek, Sept 9 – – The 2021 Nedbank Namibian National Cross – Country Championship will take place on Saturday, 11 September 2021 at the IJG Trails in Kleine Kuppe, Windhoek. 

Categories will range from under-12 to elite, and cyclists will compete over various distances across the rocky jagged landscape for top honours. The national race will see Namibian cyclists compete to garner points for boosting their world rankings which are key determinants for cyclists to compete in international events like we have seen at the Olympics. Namibian mountain bike cross-country cyclist and Olympian, Alex Miller, will be one of the notable cyclists to watch as he returns to the XC series after his customary gritty performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

Nedbank Namibia’s spokesperson, Gernot de Klerk, highlighted the prominence of developing the constructive cycling culture in Namibia. “We count ourselves so privileged to play an eminent role in the development of the sport,” he says. “We will be crowning national champions on Saturday and that in itself is always an occasion worthy of celebration.”

Rock and Rut Mountain Bike Club’s, Marion Schoenecke, encourages the public to start attending cycling events for the purpose of supporting the riders and motivating them to do their outmost best. “At most of our events, we have a number of spectators at the events, but we need to encourage the public to come cheer on our cyclists, especially for major events like these. If we are constantly supporting our cyclists, they will represent the country with pride knowing the nation is behind them. It’s a constructive psychological motivator which will eventually see our cyclists bring in international accolades”, she added. 

The Namibian Cycling Federation, which is the national umbrella organization representing national championships across different cycling disciplines, will make sure Covid-19 protocols will be adhered to throughout the event. The races will have staggered starts so participants do not exceed the Covid regulated number of 100 participants in a group.  

Interested cyclists can still register for the event by visiting the Rock and Rut website. 

For more information and registration for the Nedbank Rock and Rut XC Series, please contact the Rock and Rut Mountain Bike Club Coordinator, Marion Schoenecke, at info@rockandrut.org 

Robert Maseka

mrobert@namibiadailynews.info